May 2002 — Applications
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Meadow Woods' ESOL Students Leap Into Learning
At every step, The Literacy Center's guidance and interactive devices helped "fill in a love to learn in fun ways," says Hoskins. Almost everything a student d'es elicits some sort of feedback - visual, auditory or both. This reinforces the learning message and mimics the video games with which kids are familiar. Modern kids are accustomed to a very rapid pace, Hoskins points out, which electronic learning tools like the LeapDesk and the LeapPad platform can handle with ease.
After using the materials throughout the school year, teachers pointed to the printable assessment reports as the most valuable component of the system. Hard-copy specifics for an entire class or an individual student can easily be created on demand, enabling better planning for teachers, more productive meetings with administrators, as well as enhanced communication with parents. "Those reports have meant a lot to our parents," says Hoskins. "They like seeing details of their child's progress."
After analyzing the results for the first year, Meadow Woods plans to train its teachers to use the LeapDesk assessments for gauging readiness for kindergarten and first grade. Initially these reports will be used informally within the school as indicators of how well the school is correlating to the state's formal assessments. Everyone involved with The Literacy Centers at this Florida school site seems pleased with their first year's results and look forward to greater results in the future. "The devices provide rote experiences by themselves, freeing teachers for more personal contact," says Hoskins. "Ultimately, it is that one-on-one interaction that benefits the kids most."
Contact Information
LeapFrog SchoolHouse
Emeryville, CA
(800) 883-7430
www.leapfrogschoolhouse.com
